Champions League: Osimhen doubtful for Barca clash as Chelsea wants to trigger his release clause now
Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri has expressed uncertainty over Victor Osimhen’s fitness for the club's UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash with Barcelona.
Speaking in the post-match interview after Napoli’s 1-1 draw with Genoa via TMW, Walter Mazzarri commented on star man r Osimhen’s absence from the squad for the stalemate. The Napoli manager talked about the dip in fitness levels for the Nigerian since coming back from the Africa Cup of Nations. He said: “According to him and the doctors, the boy was at his lowest. He had contractures, and returning from the Africa Cup of Nations he wasn’t the best case of risking it to let him play for a quarter of an hour to twenty minutes, so the doctor told me. Everyone would have done as we did, as the player himself also wanted.”
The 25-year-old scored only a single goal during the whole Afcon and ended up as runners-up, losing the final to Cote d’Ivoire. He has probably returned with an injury from the tournament and will take some time to fully recover.
The Italian manager confirmed that the striker has undergone an anti-fatigue training and will commence full training from tomorrow. He hopes to have Osimhen back for the Champions League clash against Barcelona next week. Mazzarri said: “ He trained with the anti-fatigue, tomorrow he will train. We hope to have him ready and restored for Barcelona. When I arrived he was injured, and I had to recover him gradually. Then there was the Africa Cup of Nations. We hope to have him available for all the next matches, in the league and the Champions League. Let’s hope so, given that the year is what it is.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea are set to trigger Osimhen's staggering release clause ahead of the summer transfer window.
Osimhen, 25, has been the Blues' top target to boost manager Mauricio Pochettino's frontline next season for quite some time.
According to transfer insider Rudy Galetti, the West Londoners are willing to meet the striker's whopping €130million (£111m) asking price.
Chelsea wish to "speed things up" to beat off interest from Paris Saint-Germain.
PSG are rigorously looking for someone to replace Kylian Mbappe up front ahead of the France international's imminent departure in June.
The Premier League giants will soon meet up with Napoli officials to discuss a payment structure.
Pochettino's side remained "relaxed" even after Osimhen signed a new lucrative contract with the Partenopei.
The Nigeria international put pen to paper on a new deal tying him up to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium until 2026.
Despite a rocky start this season due to a hamstring injury, the centre-forward is still shining bright in Naples.
Osimhen has registered a total of eight goals and three assists in 18 appearances throughout this campaign.
The ex-Lille star led Napoli to their first Serie A title after 33 years last term.
The Nigerian star has amassed a total of 67 goals and 17 assists in 119 appearances since joining Napoli in 2020.
